Christopher Cerf
Christopher B. Cerf (born August 19, 1941) brought a mid-century pop music sound to the music of Sesame Street, writing songs for Little Jerry and the Monotones (for which he usually performed one of the back-up singers), Little Chrissy and the Alphabeats (for which he also performed the lead singer), and other short-lived pop-star parodies. Among his best known works are "Put Down the Duckie" and "Monster in the Mirror," two collaborations with former Sesame Street head writer Norman Stiles. Both songs have been filmed in versions that feature large numbers of celebrities. He appears in the television documentary Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music in tribute to his friend and collaborator. Cerf also composed songs for the short-lived series, Little Muppet Monsters. His father, Bennett Cerf, was the co-founder of Random House books and a panelist of What's My Line? and his mother, Phyllis Fraser, co-founded Random House's Beginner Books with Dr. Seuss. His brother, Jonathan Cerf, wrote Big Bird's Red Book. Some characters that Cerf has provided voices for include Little Chrissy, Chrissy, Bruce Stringbean, Mick Swagger, How Now Brown, the Lead Frazzletone, the singer of the Cecille theme song, and the Captain from "Imagine That!" Sesame Place's The Game Centre was "the creative brain-child of Cerf."Correction: Ahl's only part of Sesame Place", InfoWorld, October 31, 1979. Christopher Cerf is also the co-creator and an Executive Producer of Between the Lions. He was a close personal friend of the late Douglas Adams, acclaimed author of the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. He wrote the introduction for the US edition of The Salmon of Doubt, a posthumous release of some of Adams' last works. Composer credits According to his bio in Encyclopedia Paranoiaca (2012, with Henry Beard), Cerf has written over 300 Sesame Street songs. Image:Aboveitall.jpg|Above It All Image:EnVogue.Adventure.jpg|Adventure Image:Song.Air.GuySmiley.jpg|Air Image:Antarctica.jpg|Antarctica! Image:Song.BacksBusyTappin.jpg|Back Front Tap Rap BigWolfFamily.jpg|Bad Wolf Image:BarnInUSA.jpg‎|Barn in the USA Image:Count-babycountonme.jpg‎|Baby, You Can Count on Me Image:BalladOfSlipperySlim.jpg|The Ballad of Slippery Slim Image:Celeb.bbking.jpg|B.B. King Image:Beginningmiddleend.jpg|Beginning, Middle, End Image:BertsBlanket01.jpg|Bert's Blanket Image:Song.Between.jpeg|Between Image:Song.betweenyoume.jpg|Between You and Me Image:Song.BigBiggerBiggest.jpg|Big Bigger Biggest 2938k.jpg|Big Bird's Rock Song 2938m.jpg|Big Bird's Rock 'n Roll Song Image:Song.birdlandjump.jpg|The Birdland Jump File:BloodTest.jpg|Blood Test Image:Song.borntoadd.jpg|Born to Add BornToLearn.jpg|Born to Learn Image:BrandNewLook.jpg|Brand New Look Breakfastclub.JPG|The Breakfast Club Image:Song.bubbleonmysnuffle.jpg|Bubble on My Snuffle BusyGettingBetter.jpg|Busy Getting Better All the Time BugsEverywhere.jpg|Bugs Song Image:Song.cdrivesmecrazy.jpg|C Drives Me Crazy Image:CloudNine.jpg|Cloud Nine Image:Cluckaroundtheclock.jpg|Cluck Around the Clock 3164x.jpg|Coastline Song Image:1706h.jpg|Coconut Counting Man Image:cookiediscoTV.jpg|Cookie Disco File:4128za.jpg|Cookie's R Rap Song Image:Song.countithigher.jpg|Count it Higher Image:Song.countingbackwardsinspanish.jpg|Counting Backwards in Spanish Image:Song.countingrobins.jpg|Counting Robins Image:12starsbythrees.jpg|Counting Stars by 3's Image:Count vacation.JPG|Counting Vacation Image:2096w.jpg|Dance Myself to Sleep Image:LittleJerryDanger.jpg|Danger Image:HowNowBrown.jpg|Danger's No Stranger Image:Bertdoor.JPG|Do De Rubber Duck Image:Doo Wop Hop.jpg|Do-Op Hop Bennyhop.jpg|Do the Benny Hop Image:DoTheDog.jpg|Do the Dog Image:Cookieangels.jpg|Don't Eat the Pictures Image:2482a.jpg|Don't Sing This Song Image:DontTouchMe.jpg|Don't Touch Me! Image:SignSaysDontWalk.JPG|Don't Walk Image:3154n.jpg|Don't Waste Water FireWolf.jpg|Don't You Go Back In Image:2059x.jpg|D-U-C-K-I-E Image:3136j.jpg|Elbows and Knees Image:Elephantelevator.jpg|The Elephant Elevator Operator Image:Song.fivejive.jpg|Elmo's Jive Five ReadingAndWritingDay.jpg|Every Day's a Reading and Writing Day Song.everybodynap.jpg|Everybody Nap Image:Song-exit.jpg|Exit Image:FaceFacts.jpg|Face Facts Image:3164g.jpg|Four Lambs Together Image:3982c.jpg|Furry Happy Monsters 2938o.jpg|Gimme Some Rock 'n Roll File:4419-Horse.png|A Girl and Her Horse Image:GoBabyGo!.jpg|Gonna Rock You to Sleep Image:Googlebugle.jpg|Google Bugle Image:Song.HandTalk.jpg|Hand Talk Image:Cookiecd.jpg‎|Handful of Crumbs Image:Happytapping.jpg|Happy Tappin' with Elmo Image:Song.healthyfood.jpg|Healthy Food Image:Song.heavylight.jpg|Heavy and Light Image:HeyFood.jpg‎|Hey Food Image:HonkAroundtheClock.jpg|Honk Around a Clock Image:HonkerDuckieDingerJamboree.jpg|The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree Image:4112zi.jpg|How Hard It Is to Be 15 Image:Hotinthecity.jpg|Hot in the City Image:CountRuler.jpg|How Deep is Your Bathtub Image:TellyRandyTravis.jpg|How Should I Tell You I Love You Image:Song.IAmChicken.jpg|I Am Chicken Image:ICan'tGetNoCooperation.jpg|(I Can't Get No) Co-Operation Image:IfElmoHadTeeth.jpg|If Elmo Had Teeth Image:Gotoschool1.jpg|I Go to School Image:4135-abbysong.jpg|I Love Words Image:4125s.jpg|I Want to Be Me Image:Wishihadafriend.jpg|I Wish I Had a Friend to Play With Me Image:RememberILoveYou.jpg|I'll Always Remember I Love You Image:Song.ImABookwormBaby.jpg|I'm a Bookworm, Baby! File:4419d.png|I'm a Kangaroo File:4419-Lobster.png|I'm a Lobster Image:4134u.jpg|I'm Gonna Get to You File:4419-Beast.png|I'm Looking for a Beast Image:Song.sadhappy.jpg|I'm Sad Because I'm Happy Image:Inout.jpg|In and Out Crowd Image:InYourImagination.jpg|In Your Imagination Image:2795m.jpg|The Inside Story Image:ItsMyFeather.jpg|It Ain't Heavy, It's My Feather StartsWithGoo.jpg|It All Starts with Goo Goo Goo Image:Zydeco.jpg|It's Zydeco Image:3136m.jpg|Jump KidsGottaListen.jpg|Kids Gotta Listen and Kids Gotta Speak 3159m.jpg|(The Name of the Place is) The Laundromat Image:Thebeetles.jpg|Letter B Image:LongTimeNoSee.jpg|Long Time, No See Image:3763f.jpg|Love in the Junkyard Image:MeGoingtoMunchYou.jpg|Me Going to Munch You, Munch You, Munch You Image:Megottabeblue.jpg|Me Gotta Be Blue Image:Monsterinthemirror.jpg|Monster in the Mirror Image:Character.mrbetween.jpg|Mr. Between Image:Song.natashaslullabye.jpg|Natasha's Lullabye Image:NearFar.balcony.jpg|Near and Far Travelsongs.jpg|Ninety Nine Bats (In My Car Today) Image:Band.oscarsjunkband.jpg|Oscar's Junk Band Image:2746q.jpg|Our Grouch (and We're Stuck with You) Image:Onmypond.jpg|On My Pond Image:OnceIsNotEnough.JPG|Once is Not Enough Image:OneWaysong.jpg‎|One Way File:OppositeGame.JPG|Opposite Game File:TheOppositeSong.jpg|The Opposite Song Image:PutDowntheDuckie.jpg|Put Down the Duckie TracyChapman.jpg|Questions GladImMe.jpg|Really, Really, Really Glad I'm Me Image:RebelLsong.jpg‎|Rebel L Image:Chrissyandthealphabeats.jpg|Rock 'N Roll Readers RockNRollStar.jpg|Rock 'N Roll Star 3150u.jpg|Rollin' on the River Image:4027c.jpg|Rosita Image:Toothpaste.jpg|Say Toothpaste, Somebody! Image:4116za.jpg|Shake Your Rattle and Roll Song.ShortTall.jpg|Short or Tall 3161u.jpg|Silly Squirrel Dance SnufflePolka.jpg|The Snuffleupagus Polka SometimesACookie.jpg|Sometimes a Cookie Image:StandByYourCan.jpg|Stand By Your Can Image:1sxu02&s-1-.jpg‎|Startin' Kindergarten Image:Bert-moranis.jpg|Stick Out Your Hand and Say Hello Image:TallTale.jpg|Tall Tale Image:Littlejerryandthemonotones.jpg|Telephone Rock Image:10CommandmentsofHealth.jpg|The Ten Commandments of Health Image:Canttakethat.jpg‎|They Can't Take That Away from Me (Sesame Street) 3187za.jpg|Things Are Always Changin' Image:4122bj.jpg|Thirteen Is My Lucky Number Image:2874d.jpg|This Song Is for the Birds Image:001.JPG|Up and Down Opera Image:Cecille.UpDown.jpg|Up Down, In Out, Over and Under Image:4137m.jpg|Washin' the Dog Image:3007f.jpg|Watching All the Triangles Go Image:WeHateTheRain.jpg|We Hate the Rain 3816h.jpg|We're All Growin' Image:WetorDry.jpg|Wet or Dry Image:Wetpaintsong.jpg‎|Wet Paint Image:WetPaintSign.jpg|Wet Paint Sign Image:Song.WhenYouGrowUp.jpg|When You Grow Up Image:3831oinkerBsong.jpg|Where Can You Be, B? Whatsinside2.jpg| What's Inside?|link=What's Inside? (song) Image:Season31LittleJerry.jpg‎|When You Move the Mouse Image:Nosong.jpg|The Word is "No" WriteItDown.jpg|Write it Down Image:3816s.jpg|You Don't Have to Be a Grizzly BePatient.jpg|You Gotta Be Patient (To Be a Patient) Image:Little chrissy you're alive.jpg|You're Alive Image:Cartoon-takeawayfood.jpg|Zero Song Image:Song.zigzagdance-original.jpg|Zig Zag Dance Image:2356-4.jpg|ZZ Blues References and Jim Henson.]] External links * New York Social Diary: Christopher Cerf * Wikipedia Article on Christopher Cerf * Christopher Cerf on Twitter * Cerf's official YouTube channel * Christopher Cerf, 2010 McGraw Prize in Education Winner Category:Writers Category:Composers Category:Muppet Voice Actors Category:Sesame Workshop Staff Category:Vocalists